Page 32 - Desi Express Magazine Sept 2019

Health Watch

address the distribution of fat in a person’s body. However, many of the other symptoms type 2
Fat around the waist is a risk factor for diabetes and diabetes produces are still presentm thirst, frequent
other diseases, research has shown. urination, and unexplained fatigue. Because weight
gain is not often a symptom Asian Americans with
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM: type 2 diabetes exhibit, many doctors do not link the
" other symptoms presented to diabetes, and many
"Traditional Asian cooking is generally low in fat and Traditional Asian cooking is generally low in fat and
high in fiber, so it is not hard to introduce healthy remain undiagnosed.
cooking strategies to Asian American patients,"
Many Asian American patients think treating diabetes any Asian American patients think treating diabetes
Cheung states. Instead, "it’s the industrialization of M
Asian countries that causes dietary shifts people means following a specific regimen for a period of
prefer to eat processed foods that are higher in fat, time to cure the disease. They believe that certain
calories, and even higher in sodium," she explains. herbs or medicines can address the cause of the
This shift from traditional cooking to mainly disease, while western medicine only relieves the
processed foods means fewer healthy food choices, symptoms. "Often, these patients will concurrently
and ultimately, changes in diet that significantly seek alternative medications or eat large amounts of
impact health. certain foods, such as pumpkin and bitter melon while
taking their prescribed medications," she states.
BODY COMPOSITION DIFFERENCES:
"Studies that look at prevention and treatment for Many Asian patients refuse the initial consultation with
people with type 2 diabetes use Caucasian patients a dietitian because they don’t understand the role of

Studies have shown that more than medication, dieting
and exercising greatly reduce people's chances of getting

diabetes. But making those lifestyle changes can be

especially difficult for South Asian Americans in USA,
because healthy eating guidelines have typically been

based on traditional American diets.

primarily. "Due to differences in body size, physiology
and cultural differences between Asians and
Caucasians, results may not be applicable to Asians," nutrition in managing their diabetes, and adhere to the
she states. A classic example of this, she says, is the traditional view that characterizes physicians as the
body mass index (BMI). "At a lower BMI, Asians tend only experts in treating the disease
to accumulate more body fat compared to Cauca-
Currently, 60% of the world’s diabetic population is urrently, 60% of the world’s diabetic population is
sians," which she says underscores the need for C
different BMI thresholds for Asian American patients. Asian. This higher risk may be because Asians, espe-
cially South Asians, are more likely to have less
muscle and more abdominal fat, which increases insu-
WEIGHT GAIN ISN’T A SYMPTOM FOR lin resistance. For example, even though Indian new-
MANY ASIANS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: borns have a lower average body weight, they have
A telltale symptom of type 2 diabetes is weight gain, higher levels of body fat and insulin. Imaging technolo-
but for many Asian Americans, this symptom simply
does not appear. The result is that fewer Asian Asians of a healthy BMI have more fat around organs
Americans are screened for type 2 diabetes. and in the belly area

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